If you’ve been keeping up with our coverage (or at least scanning the Internet for New Orleans Saints trade rumors), you’ve already seen our first batch of proposals if the Saints choose to lean into their youth movement and start moving players ahead of the November trade deadline. And you may have noticed that all of those guys play offense.
So now we’re shifting gears and looking at the other side of the ball. Which defenders could the Saints trade? Where might they find interest around the league? Most importantly, what could the Saints get back? Between their age and importance to the organization, we’re guessing Cameron Jordan and Demario Davis aren’t considerations. But these four defenders could draw attention:
Pete Werner
One of Dennis Allen’s last moves before getting canned was pushing for Werner’s contract extension — and now the Saints are stuck with an underperforming linebacker who isn’t a good fit in their rebuilt defense. If they can move on from Werner and open up snaps for rookie fourth-round pick Danny Stutsman, they should try to make it happen. Learning what they have in Stutsman and getting him valuable snaps should be a priority. Don’t wait for Demario Davis to retire to get Stutsman on the field with the starters. But what is Werner’s value on the trade block?
A good, not great, comparison is Ernest Jones. They were both picked in the 2021 draft. Jones has appeared in 67 games, starting 52 of them; Werner has started 51 of his 60 games. Jones averages 7.3 tackles per game. Werner averages 6. Jones has more tackles for loss (25 to 15), interceptions (6 to 1), and passes defensed (19 to 7). He’s a more dynamic player and has been traded a few times, going from the Los Angeles Rams to the Tennessee Titans with a sixth rounder in exchange for a fifth rounder. The Titans later flipped him for another linebacker, Jerome Baker, and a fourth-round pick in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle signed him to an extension with $2 million more per year than what the Saints gave Werner. That suggests they’re valued similarly. Here’s what a trade could look like:
- New Orleans gets: 2026 fifth-round pick (projected No. 156 overall)
- Chicago gets: LB Pete Werner
Werner is under contract for 2026 and 2027, and the Saints would save more than $6.25 million next year by trading him. Reuniting him with his old coach Dennis Allen on the Chicago Bears could help both sides. Chicago is giving up the most yards per rushing attempt (6.1) through four weeks. Third-year linebacker Noah Sewell has missed 10 tackles in that span and could be bumped down the depth chart.
Alontae Taylor
Taylor is in an odd place. He’s one of the Saints’ top cornerbacks, and he’s in the final year of his rookie contract without an extension on the horizon. Should the team extend him? Or is it time to move on and look for corners better suited to the defense Brandon Staley wants to run, with more zone coverage and less blitzing? What would another team have to offer to make that decision for them?
We’re looking for a fourth-round pick. That may be a little rich given how many nickels have been traded for sixth rounders lately, but Taylor is more than a slot specialist. He’s an every-down defender who, in the right scheme, can make an impact at every level of the field. Early in his career (and in college at Tennessee) he was an exceptional cover corner out on the boundary. Getting him to a situation that can make the most of his talents, so long as the Saints are well-compensated, could make everyone happy. The Saints rostered guys like Rezjohn Wright and Ugo Amadi for good reasons. Here’s our proposal:
- New Orleans gets: 2026 fourth-round pick (projected No. 109 overall)
- Las Vegas gets: CB Alontae Taylor, 2028 seventh round pick
Taylor could be a perfect fit in Pete Carroll’s physical Las Vegas Raiders secondary, sliding into the slot right away — taking over for beleaguered defenders Jamal Adams (6 catches allowed on just 26 coverage snaps) and Darnay Holmes (9 catches on 43 snaps). Few teams are allocating as little salary cap dollars to cornerbacks as the Raiders, so they could easily justify an extension if Taylor plays well the rest of the year. They have as much as $95 million to spend next year. If the Saints don’t plan on paying Taylor themselves, this sets up everyone for a fresh start. We’ll throw in a future pick to keep the Raiders GM happy; the Saints have three of them in 2028’s seventh round.
Nathan Shepherd
New Orleans has done a good job getting young players plenty of reps on offense. It’s a different story on the other side of the ball. It’s a logjam of guys on the wrong side of 30 beyond cornerstones Cameron Jordan and Demario Davis (both 36 years old). They’ve got Nathan Shepherd and Jonathan Bullard (both 31), Jonah Williams (30), and Davon Godchaux (30) taking snaps over younger pros like Khristian Boyd (25). It’s a real shame that Vernon Broughton (24) is out with a season-ending injury, but John Ridgeway III (26) will be back sooner or later. Moving Shepherd to open a spot in the rotation for Ridgeway, once he’s healthy, and practice squad lineman Coziah Izzard (23) could be worth it. Especially if the Saints can get a pick back.
Right now, the Saints don’t have a pick in two of the final four rounds next year. Trades that swapped sixth rounders for defensive linemen with similar resumes like Roy Robertson-Harris and Harrison Phillips have established a precedent. Shepherd isn’t going to be part of a multiyear rebuild. Getting a pick and sending him to a playoff contender is good for both sides. Here’s our proposal:
- New Orleans gets: 2026 sixth-round pick (projected No. 203 overall)
- Green Bay gets: DT Nathan Shepherd
The Green Bay Packers’ defensive line was worn down by the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night, and they took a big hit when Devonte Wyatt left the game with a knee injury. Micah Parsons was worth the trade but their depth chart has been exposed without Kenny Clark in the middle. Shepherd isn’t a comparable talent to Clark or Wyatt. But he is an established, starting-quality defensive tackle. He could do a lot to shore up a Packers defensive line that hopes to compete in the playoffs.
Carl Granderson
This is kind of a similar situation to our proposed Alvin Kamara trade — it’s tough to see a team making an offer that’s worth it to the Saints. Granderson is one of their few bright spots on defense. He plays a premium position. With Cameron Jordan calling it a career in a year or two, you’d like to hold onto Granderson to make that transition easier.
But he might be the player other teams covet most on the Saints defense. Granderson restructured his contract this offseason, so any team trading for him would be on the hook for just the minimum salary the rest of the season. He’s also under contract for 2026 and 2027 with manageable base salaries of $10.75 million in each year. That’s well worth the cost of a starting defensive end with 33 career sacks. He’ll turn 30 next year.
So what could another team offer? The Chicago Bears traded a second-round pick for Montez Sweat when he was two years younger than Granderson with 2.5 more career sacks, so maybe the Saints could get back a third rounder. Depending on where it falls that could make up for the fourth-round pick the team traded for wide receiver Devaughn Vele this summer (which is likely to be the first pick in that round). Here’s our proposal:
- New Orleans gets: 2026 third- (projected No. 93 overall) and fourth-round picks (projected No. 130)
- San Francisco gets: DE Carl Granderson
They’re holding on with a 3-1 record, but the San Francisco 49ers could use some help after Nick Bosa’s season-ending injury. The 49ers are tied for the fourth-fewest sacks through four games (with five of them). Just one team, the Carolina Panthers, has a worse pressure rate than San Francisco. Granderson would be a big upgrade for them. And with several compensatory picks coming their way in 2026, the 49ers can afford to overpay a little.
But can the Saints afford to lose Granderson? He’s part of the solution, not part of the problem. Chase Young can’t be relied on. Jordan’s career is drawing to a close. They don’t have any young draft picks developing behind those guys on top of the depth chart. Adding a couple of mid-round picks would be nice, but this might be too big of a loss for them.
